CalFish is the leading source for California anadromous fish and stream habitat data, as well as the standards and tools needed to collect, understand, manage, analyze, and share those data. Read more...

Program Spotlight

Steelhead Runback - Redwood Creek

The CalFish Abundance Database contains a significant amount of information regarding the current and historic status of California's anadromous fish. The data were collected in many different ways including: in-stream salmon carcass counts, salmon redd counts, live fish counted passing dams or weirs, and fish observed during summer snorkeling surveys. All of the data are assigned a spatial location and can be displayed on a map.

Stream Habitat Survey - Gulch 19, Tributary to NF Ten Mile River

Stream habitat data are measurements of physical and aquatic stream attributes used to analyze a stream's suitability for supporting salmonid populations, as part of larger and more complex watershed assessments, and to establish baseline conditions with which future assessments can measure change.

Fire Perimeter slideshows are available for each hydrologic unit by clicking on a regional map. The animations display the spatial distribution of past large fires starting in 1995. The data comes from a comprehensive fire perimeter GIS layer jointly maintained by CAL FIRE, USDA Forest Service Region 5, BLM, NPS, Contract Counties and other agencies.

Juvenile Coho (courtesy of Teri Moore, CDFW)

The Coho Salmon Species page contains information and data about Coho Salmon (Oncorhynchus kisutch) including protection status, recovery and monitoring plans, life history, habitat, identification, and fishing regulations. A Coho data explorer tool is available to help find data. Links to Coho related documents in the CDFW Document Library are provided as well as links to additional resources.

Salmon Stongholds - Ecoregions

The "Salmon Stronghold approach" is a wild salmon conservation strategy that seeks to complement ongoing salmon recovery efforts by identifying and conserving the healthiest remaining wild salmon populations and the high value habitats they utilize.

The Steelhead Trout Species page contains information and data about Steelhead Trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) including protection status, recovery and monitoring plans, life history, habitat, identification, and fishing regulations. A Steelhead data explorer tool is available to help find data. Links to Steelhead related documents in the CDFW Document Library are provided as well as links to additional resources.

The Pacific Lamprey Species page contains information and data about Pacific Lamprey (Entosphenus tridentatus) including protection status, recovery and monitoring plans, life history, habitat, identification, and fishing regulations. Links to Pacific Lamprey related reports in the CDFW Document Library are provided as well as links to additional resources.

Chinook Salmon (courtesy of NOAA)

The Chinook Salmon Species page contains information and data about Chinook Salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) including protection status, recovery and monitoring plans, life history, habitat, identification, and fishing regulations. A Chinook Salmon data explorer tool is available to help find data. Links to Chinook Salmon related documents in the CDFW Document Library are provided as well as links to additional resources.

Eulachon (courtesy of Jeff Reeves, USFS)

The Eulachon Species page contains information and data about Eulachon (Thaleichthys pacificus) including protection status, life history, habitat, identification, and fishing regulations. Links to NOAA Fisheries critical habitat information are provided as well as links to additional resources.

The White Sturgeon Species page contains information and data about White Sturgeon (Acipenser transmontanus) including protection status, life history, habitat, identification, research and fishing regulations. Links to White Sturgeon related reports in the CDFW Document Library are provided as well as links to additional resources.

The California Coastal Monitoring Program (CMP) is the most comprehensive program to date that provides a complete understanding of California’s salmon and steelhead populations, utilizing statistically-rigorous modeling in combination with a variety of in-river sampling and survey methods. The CDFW and NOAA Fisheries are leading the implementation of this Program in coastal watersheds from California’s border with Mexico north to the Oregon border, including San Francisco and Humboldt Bay tributaries.

PAD Barrier Removal Reports available by map

The California Fish Passage Assessment Database compiles currently available fish passage information from many different sources, allows past and future barrier assessments to be standardized and stored in one place, and enables the analysis of cumulative effects of passage barriers in the context of overall watershed health. Detailed Barrier Removal reports are now available for 2011 - 2014 through a map interface.

The Coastal Cutthroat Trout Species page contains information and data about Coastal Cutthroat Trout (Oncorhynchus clarkii clarkii) including protection status, life history, habitat, identification and fishing regulations. A Cutthroat Trout data explorer tool is available to help find data. Links to Cutthroat Trout related reports in the CDFW Document Library are provided as well as links to additional resources.

CalFish will continue to offer a collection of Map Viewer bookmarks which can be used to open the new BIOS 5 Map Viewer with specific collections of data grouped to offer information that answer common fisheries related questions.

What's New on CalFish

Chinook Salmon Monitoring in Coastal Streams of Central California
Starting in fall 2014, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife began augmenting in-stream surveys for fall-run Chinook salmon to see if they are entering coastal streams to spawn. The Department’s focus is to determine if fall-run Chinook salmon are present in coastal streams, and if so, their origin.
Read more in the informational “glossy” document Chinook Salmon Monitoring in Coastal Streams of Central California.

Chinook Salmon Distribution Data Available
These datasets depict Chinook presence as well as habitat type and quality in the CA Coastal ESU and CA Central Valley Spring-run ESU as of 2005.
The data was compiled by the National Marine Fisheries Service (NOAA Fisheries) Southwest Regional Office (SWR) in an effort to designate Critical Habitat for Chinook in California.

Passage Assessment Database (PAD) Updated May 2014
The Passage Assessment Database contains locations and descriptions of known and potential barriers to salmonid migration in California streams.

Restoration Groups by Watershed Tool Can Help Facilitate Collaboration
The new Restoration Groups by Watershed tool helps facilitate collaboration by providing names of groups or agencies working in a hydrologic unit with links to their websites. A map based search for this information can be performed through the Restoration Groups by Watershed tool found on the Additional Resources tab of the Restoration Groups by Watershed program page. Information is currently available for coastal watersheds north of and including Sonoma County and south of and including Monterey County.